Honda Motocompacto

[vintagegarage]

Already put my order in at my Honda automobile dealer..

https://motocompacto.honda.com/

 

[BaldRider]

I wish it was ICE but understand why it isn't. Price is right. Now I have to figure out a use case to justify it.

 

[oldskool]

I wish it was ICE but understand why it isn't. Price is right. Now I have to figure out a use case to justify it.

Ride from the front porch to the shed where your CT lives.

 

[Fishwishin]

Looks dumb to me, as in riding a folding picnic table kind of dumb.

I am sure there is a purpose, but this will not be for me.

 

[SneakyDingo]

These vehicles represent the answer to a specific kind of last mile transportation problem, the "vehicle in a vehicle". Frankly, I've been trying to solve this kind of problem for the better part of 22 years for me. The problem space usually exists for either renting a vehicle or dropping one off for servicing. By its very nature, if you live in a place with abundant accessible parking this is not the bike for you. If, however, you live in a place where you'd typically have to park a 15 minute walk away (each way)...

Honda's been trying this for decades now. There was a 2001 one, a 2011 one, now this one. There's minivelos, folding bicycles, electric unicycles, electric skateboards, OneWheels, and of course these. As someone who can ride all of those, I think there's only one reason that makes sense to buy a Motocompacto: You want a Motocompacto. Which on a forum for the Honda Trail 125, which IMO is a pretty terrible deal for someone who just wants a small displacement motorcycle, kinda fits right in: You buy a Trail because you wanted a Trail, not because it made financial sense.

If you want financial sense, a Begode MTen4 is like $100 more, goes faster, goes further, weighs less, is easier to carry and store, and IMO looks better, but there's a learning skill curve. If you're just trying to solve the problem of not walking between where you parked your car and where you need to go, those Bolt bicycles from Costco are a great option. But if you want a Motocompacto...

pls take photos.

 

[Fishwishin]

These vehicles represent the answer to a specific kind of last mile transportation problem, the "vehicle in a vehicle".

Ahhh- now I get it.

 

[oldskool]

You buy a Trail because you wanted a Trail, not because it made financial sense.

Of course wanting the trail was a major factor but it also makes financial sense for me. I live in the south so it gets used all year round and is the go to for light errands or just going to nearby places. It has cut my fuel bill substantially. My four wheel vehicle is a Toyota Tacoma and it accounts for most of the bill even though it gets few of the miles run the CT does. If it isn't raining, I don't need to haul more than the CT can carry or travel far and or fast the truck and Harley stay home. Another factor, that I would gladly be wrong on, is there may be fuel shortages. There is absolutely no GOOD reason for us to have to consider this possibility but unless things change in the political arena it very well could happen. If that did come to pass the CT will be worth its weight in gold.

 

[m in sc]

this serves a totally different purpose. a good friend of mine works on a university campus, this would be ideal for him, or a large industrial campus. Hondas been making these in various forms since around 1981 actually. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Motocompo

 

[BaldRider]

A lifetime or two ago when I lived in Northern Virginia, I had to walk about a mile to the East Falls Church Metro Station to take the train to Crystal City for work. This would have been perfect.

 

[Plotus]

Looks dumb to me, as in riding a folding picnic table kind of dumb.

I am sure there is a purpose, but this will not be for me.

I agree... it appears to fill an awkward time and position in electric vehicles. What comes to mind is when in the 70's autos went all wonky in style with low expectation motors and styling only a sedated physics professor could tolerate.
This seems to be an exercise in 'box' like the Toyota Scion XB........ unique but scarcely practical outside the city limits..? Styling is ultimately absent completely... need I repeat myself ? It is lacking in several ways indeed. Barring some bichin paint scheme, one would be better served with a Honda Metropolitan or Yamaha Vino..... please give me some sembelence of Style... not a non-resplendent Samsonite moving conveyance.
FEEL free to correct me at your leisure however.

 

[m in sc]

its an appliance guys. Ya'll going to be complaining about segway styling next?

 

[SneakyDingo]

I think the comparison to Segway is a fair one, but like... have y'all looked at Segway recently? Or ridden one? Even with knowing someone who owns one, they're pretty much limited to only those tourism companies doing streetside tours (which I highly recommend, they're pretty fun, in the same way a toy is fun but you might not want to own one).

Even Ninebot, who acquired Segway in 2015, had some amazing plans going forward in the electric unicycle (EUC) space using the tech and patent. Even though they still exist, they pretty much exited the market and I have no idea of what they're doing (yah, their site is active, but you can't actually buy a Z10 EUC). And the Z10 was an amazing piece of hardware, considered one of the best rides for years until full suspension came along.

Thankfully it's a shiteload cheaper than Segway. It's cheap enough that you could consider it a semi-expensive toy like you would a DJI drone.

Of course wanting the trail was a major factor but it also makes financial sense for me. I live in the south so it gets used all year round and is the go to for light errands or just going to nearby places. It has cut my fuel bill substantially. My four wheel vehicle is a Toyota Tacoma and it accounts for most of the bill even though it gets few of the miles run the CT does. If it isn't raining, I don't need to haul more than the CT can carry or travel far and or fast the truck and Harley stay home. Another factor, that I would gladly be wrong on, is there may be fuel shortages. There is absolutely no GOOD reason for us to have to consider this possibility but unless things change in the political arena it very well could happen. If that did come to pass the CT will be worth its weight in gold.

You're speaking to the general benefits of small, efficient bikes though, not something extremely specific to the CT125.

My bike sees 4x the mileage the car does, so yah, you're preaching to the choir here for why it's an awesome vehicle. It's the same argument for why I like having bicycles and a car, except that you can put a bicycle inside most cars. To me though the CT125 holds an extremely tenuous and niche grasp in today's market of available options - it's slower than most other options, it's heavier than many of the options, it's more expensive than most of the options... IMO the only reason you get a CT125 in 2023 is because you specifically want a CT125. There's nothing wrong with that either, but if all you want is a bike, then there are other options that will likely serve you better.

 

[SneakyDingo]

a good friend of mine works on a university campus, this would be ideal for him, or a large industrial campus.

My old workplace would have a substantial use case for this for people who drive in. Even now with WFH options emptying the garage, the closest unpaid on street parking is often a 10-15 minutes walk away - with excellent bike lane access the entire way and a big, swipe access secured bicycle parking area with wall plugs. It's a hilly walk too with low quality, narrow and busy sidewalks, not some pleasant sauntering in.

 

[dmonkey]

I see this being great to have for the park-and-ride situation that the original motocompo was marketed for, and without having your car smell like gasoline inside. I think Honda might be late to the game though, as this will compete with electric (stand and ride) scooters for that purpose as well as for storing in small spaces like a dorm or apartment where bicycles can take up a lot of indoor storage. Having a seat certainly makes it a more comfortable alternative to the electric stand up scooters though. How quickly it can be folded and unfolded will be critical for many reviewers and potential owners. I have a Lectric XP 3.0 and I know many other people have bought one only to sell it because the folding and heavy weight to lift it into the back of their SUV or truck ended up being a barrier to them using it regularly.

 

[vintagegarage]

I deleted my tongue in cheek posts about getting the rear top box with license plate bracket, windshield, and so on and also the one about the Takegawa hop-up parts, as they weren't very funny a day later. But I was expecting some comment about the license plate bracket. Depending on where you live, Motocompactos might not be legal to operate on your streets. Four years ago, to operate an electric scooter on the streets in Florida, it had to either have 1. pedals, or 2. be registered and have a license plate. However, I think that changed here in 2019, mainly, I think, through lobbying by a large scooter rental business in the St. Petersburg area.

Here is a link to the law:
https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2019/316.2128

And yet, when I search for the rules, I find:

• Age Requirement: Riders must be at least 16 years old.
• Licensing: A driver’s license is not required to operate an e-scooter in Florida. However, if the motor scooter comes with a saddle, it is street legal and can be operated on the roadways.
• Safety Measures: While helmets are encouraged, they are not required for e-scooter riders. It’s always a good idea to wear protective headgear to ensure your safety.
• Riding Locations: E-scooters should be ridden on bicycle lanes or streets with a 30mph speed limit1. Riding on sidewalks, beach paths, or private property is not permitted.

I don't see all of that in the law, so perhaps there has been an update to the law, as item 6 in the law says that any business selling e_scooters must have a sign up saying they aren't street legal. I also think the rules might be different by location, for example the rules in St. Petersburg may be different than those in Miami.

 

[RedRyder]

Last summer I pulled a hamstring pretty badly but I could not take off from the workplace. Parking was always a 20-minute+ walk, and I could not do it without more injury. So I bought one of these for $269. One of the best investments I've ever made. Saved further injury and saved time. Bang for the buck was fantastic. Jetson Bolt. I still have it and pull it out on occasion for errands. Comes right into the store with me. For what it is and does, it's OK by me.

 

[oldskool]

View attachment 7453
Last summer I pulled a hamstring pretty badly but I could not take off from the workplace. Parking was always a 20-minute+ walk, and I could not do it without more injury. So I bought one of these for $269. One of the best investments I've ever made. Saved further injury and saved time. Bang for the buck was fantastic. Jetson Bolt. I still have it and pull it out on occasion for errands. Comes right into the store with me. For what it is and does, it's OK by me.

What is the range and speed?

 

[SneakyDingo]

What is the range and speed?

It's a class 1 so 15 mph, and it goes about 15 miles but that depends heavily on rider weight, how much you push, etc.

 

[RedRyder]

What is the range and speed?

Top speed 15MPH, but account for all the variables such as weight, terrain, etc. There is no speedo so I can't tell you how fast I ever got it going. I was fairly impressed with its climbing capability, however. On short uphills it did pretty well. Range I'd say 15 miles. Handlebars fold down. Weight about 30 pounds maybe? I did not buy at Costco, but off the Jetson site at a small sale price (no nearby Costco). EDIT: I should note the $269 was for a refurb. I wanted to pay as little as possible for the short time I needed it (three weeks).

 

[SneakyDingo]

I also think the rules might be different by location, for example the rules in St. Petersburg may be different than those in Miami.

The rules are definitely different, I ran into this exact problem with my Electric Unicycle. Some vehicles are just "unclassified" and fall under the, "if you're not being an idiot and you do what people expect, no one will stop you." Take my EUC for example:

• It's not a bicycle or an eBike (no working pedals)
• My EUC is not an EPAMD (goes too fast)
• It's not a moped (goes too fast)
• It's not a motorcycle (no handlebars, no seat)
• It's not a power wheelchair (designed for outdoor use)
• etc.

Interestingly, I think according to state law, this would be a moped.

• If it had working pedals, even if they were terrible, then it'd be an electric bicycle.
• If it had a floorboard you stood on instead of pegs, then it'd be a motorized foot scooter.
• If it self balanced, it'd be a EPAMD.
• If it was for designed as a mobility aid for indoor use, then it'd be a power wheelchair.
• The remaining declaration under motor driven cycle is if it's a moped or motorcycle. The tighter of the two requirements is the moped - an electric engine, less than 4 wheels, 2 hp or less, 30 mph or less capabilities.

That also means that the vehicle doesn't necessarily meet the necessary standards for operation on Washington roadways if that is the case. No turn signals, no license plate light, etc.